The Days of Marrying a Villain

On Shibao Street in the east of the capital, there were rows of taverns and shops, and the people coming and going were mostly traveling merchants and people from all walks of life.

After Fu Yu visited his old friend on behalf of Fu Deqing, he did not immediately return to the Wei family's residence. Instead, he rode alone to Shibao Street, took a detour to avoid his spies, and entered a tavern. The weather was overcast, and it was a bit chilly as evening approached. The tavern was filled with many drinkers who had left their hometowns, making a lively scene with their shouts and laughter.

He bowed and entered through the side door. The innkeeper, who seemed to have been waiting for him for a long time, hurriedly led him into a private room.

Upon entering the house, Du He was already there. Seeing him, he bowed and clasped his hands in greeting, saying, "General!"

Fu Yu raised his hand, and only after the shopkeeper had left and closed the door did he ask, "How was it?"

“I’ve found out.” Du He walked over, took out a piece of paper from his sleeve, on which several place names were written. He said, “Consort Zhao intended to help Prince Ying make connections, but Prince Xiping made outrageous demands, asking the Emperor for military power and taxes in these several prefectures—” He spread the paper in front of Fu Yu and continued, “This is clearly taking advantage of someone’s misfortune, so of course the Emperor will not agree.”

Where is the King of England?

“That person…” Du He’s face showed a slight sarcasm, “is said to be willing to make an exchange, and has promised the Prince of Xiping.”

“No wonder.” Fu Yu’s expression turned cold as he looked at the names of those prefectures.

Prince Wei Jian of Xiping was inherently greedy. He had already seized military power from the Dingjun military governor and fraudulently obtained a title of prince from a different surname, yet he was still not satisfied. Over the years, he had annexed several nearby prefectures, building a powerful and well-equipped army. Now, with these demands, his ambition was obvious. Even if Emperor Xiping was mediocre and unable to regain control of the various armies, would he easily back down and watch Wei Jian siphon off the remaining meager tax revenue of the court?

He then asked, "Your Majesty must also be aware of the promises the Prince of Ying made to Wei Jian?"

"He should know. But the general didn't agree. He wasn't sure, and he might still be counting on the Prince of Xiping, so he just pretended not to hear."

Fu Yu nodded, pondering over the note.

The Fu family, the military governors of Yongning, guarded the north and enjoyed the advantage of popular support, while the Wei family, the military governors of Dingjun, bordered the west and possessed a strategic advantage. They were considered among the most powerful military forces in the region. Although the two families did not interact, Fu Yu had already gained a fairly good understanding of Wei Jian's character and actions. Wei Jian was insatiable and never acted without a clear objective; having proposed the annexation of several prefectures, he was determined to succeed.

Now that the Fu family has intervened, he can't reach an agreement with Emperor Xiping on business, so how can he give up so easily?

Emperor Xiping and Xu Chaozong would rather bow down to the Fu family than give up their territory, so Wei Jian could only rely on the Prince of Ying.

So--

Fu Yu tapped his fingers on the table, then suddenly looked up. "It must be quite lively outside Xu Chaozong's residence lately."

Du He's eyes suddenly lit up, and he said, "That's right."

"Who else are the Wei family's informants associating with?"

Du He then reported the information he had recently gathered. After finishing, he tentatively asked, "Does the general think that the Wei family will eliminate Prince Rui?"

"Between Prince Rui and Prince Ying, Wei Jian will only choose the latter. Without Xu Chaozong, even if I send troops to quell the rebellion, in Prince Ying's eyes, the greatest merit will still belong to Wei Jian. Prince Ying lives a life of luxury and is unaware of the suffering of the people; all he desires is the throne. In his eyes, the merit of following the emperor to show loyalty surpasses all military achievements. They are birds of a feather, each getting what they want."

Du He was quick-witted and understood things immediately.

He came from a poor background, crawled out of piles of corpses, and couldn't help but mutter, "This kind of person, apart from being of royal blood, is hardly fit to be a king!"

Fu Yu slightly raised his eyelids, his expression cold and indifferent.

Du He was startled and quickly clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Your subordinate misspoke."

He paused, then asked, "Should we remind Prince Rui?"

"No need," Fu Yu replied readily.

Xu Chaozong was completely unaware, which gave the Wei family the opportunity to assassinate him. Once the mastermind behind it was exposed, the struggle for the throne could be temporarily put to rest. After all, the capital still needed an emperor to keep the people's hearts at ease. Compared to the Prince of Ying, who was in cahoots with Wei Jian, temporarily supporting Xu Chaozong was a choice made out of necessity.

He sat upright behind the desk, a cup of hot wine in his hand, slowly making his calculations.

Afterwards, he summoned Du He to find Wei Tianze and gave him instructions on how to make arrangements.

...

When Wei Tianze arrived in Beijing, he kept a much lower profile than Fu Yu.

He's been staying nearby lately, keeping a low profile. Very few people in the entire capital know his whereabouts.

The valiant young general, wearing a felt hat, with thick eyebrows and a full beard, was sitting in a corner of the tavern drinking. Seeing the innkeeper give him a meaningful look, he nodded slightly, calmly finished his wine, paid the bill, and then slipped away. A moment later, he returned to the private room through a hidden spot.

Fu Yu had been fighting alongside him for several years, and seeing his burly, rugged appearance was somewhat unexpected.

Wei Tianze smiled and cupped his hands in greeting, explaining, "I infiltrated the caravan to avoid attracting attention."

"I really didn't recognize him." Fu Yu raised his chin, gesturing for him to sit down.

He then briefly relayed what Du He had found out, saying, "Judging from their movements, they may choose to make their move during the Lantern Festival when everyone is in a chaotic situation. I have already promised to assist Prince Rui to some extent, so we must ensure his safety. Du He doesn't have enough manpower, so you will help him these next two days to find out the details of their actions and make sure no one escapes."

"Okay," Wei Tianze replied. "What's their background? Any leads?"

Du He, who was standing nearby, described the appearance of several people and said, "The leader is Wei Jian's brother-in-law."

"Brother-in-law?" Wei Tianze's expression froze for a moment, then he quickly covered it up, only laughing and saying, "You've sent out all the relatives?"

Fu Yu didn't join their conversation, lost in thought. Du He, oblivious to the oddities, simply smiled and said, "Wei Jian is greedy and lustful, with a multitude of children. His concubines could form an army to fight. This brother-in-law has no background and is worthless."

Wei Tianze nodded, lowered his head to drink a cup of hot wine, discussed some details with Fu Yu, and then took his leave.

...

Once the agreement was reached here, Xu Chaozong sent another invitation to the Prince Rui's residence, regardless of whether Xu Shu was willing or not.

The invitation was still written by Xu Chaozong himself, saying that on the sixteenth day of th

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